~Varying Perspectives Represented and Best Practices Shared by Experts~

Newswise — The 4th Annual Consumer Genetics Conference, a yearly forum designed to spark influential conversation on the current state of personal genomics and to shape the future of the field, is being held October 3-5 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. This event will bring together the field’s preeminent researchers, clinicians, government regulators and industry leaders, who will provide their perspectives on the direction of this field, and the crucial topics surrounding its implications to clinical health and medicine.

In this highly interactive forum, panel participants will represent a broad spectrum of viewpoints, and will engage in an open discussion on best practices and policies, as well as new advancements and challenges. Through the course of this dynamic exchange, the future of consumer-based genetics will be explored, examined, and shaped.

The deadline to take advantage of discounted early bird registration rates is Friday, September 7.

Major themes to be covered at this conference will include: Personal Genomics, Third-Generation Sequencing, Molecular Diagnostics, Investment & Funding Opportunities, Genome Interpretation, The Future of Personalized Medicine, Big Data, Prenatal/Neonatal & Disease Diagnostics, Empowering Patients, Nutrition, Food Genetics & Cosmetics

Keynote speakers and featured presenters will include:

Diana Bianchi, M.D., Executive Director, Mother Infant Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center• Kenneth Chahine, Ph.D., J.D., Senior Vice President and General Manager, DNA, Ancestry.com• Brian T. Naughton, Ph.D., Founding Scientist, 23andMe• Nathan Pearson, Ph.D., Director of Research, Knome, Inc.• John Quackenbush, Ph.D., Professor, Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Cancer Biology Center for Cancer Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute• Heidi L. Rehm, Ph.D., FACMG, Chief Laboratory Director, Molecular Medicine, Partners HealthCare Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine; Assistant Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School• Lee Silver, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology and Public Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University

For more information on the 4th Annual Consumer Genetics Conference, including registration and a full program schedule, please visit http://www.consumergeneticsconference.com.

Media are invited to attend this conference and meet and interview speakers on-site. Registration can be obtained by emailing Lynn Blenkhorn at [email protected], or by calling: 508-851-0930. If you cannot attend but you would like to speak with one of the presenters, we would be pleased to organize a phone interview on the day of their presentation.